Do you go on planes a lot?

[Debrinha GT]

I've just read this article in HeartCenterOnline newsletter and thought it might interest you too:
Débora

Air travel can rob the body of oxygen

May 05 (Reuters Health) - If flying makes you breathless, there may be good reason. New research suggests that air travel can diminish the blood's oxygen supply to levels that, on the ground, might require treatment.

The study of 84 airline passengers found that when flights were at maximum altitude, more than half of the passengers had "oxygen saturation" levels at or below 94 percent. This means that less than 95 percent of their red blood cells were fully loaded with oxygen, a level at which many doctors would give a person supplemental oxygen, according to the study authors.


All of the passengers, whether on short or long flights, showed declines in their blood oxygen levels, with the average oxygen saturation descending from 97 percent on the ground to 93 percent at cruising altitude, the authors report in the journal Anaesthesia.


The main concern with such oxygen dips is how they could affect passengers with heart or lung disease, said study co-author Dr. Rachel Deyermond of Ulster Hospital in Belfast, Northern Ireland.


For someone with lung disease, a loss of a few percentage points in oxygen saturation could trigger shortness of breath, Deyermond told Reuters Health. A person with heart disease, she said, may suffer chest pain, or have an increased risk of a heart attack or irregular heart rhythm.


It's also possible that significant drops in oxygen levels could contribute to deep vein thrombosis (DVT) -- blood clots in the legs that some passengers develop during long-haul flights.


Besides the effects it can have on the chronically ill, oxygen deprivation can create some less serious problems during and after a flight, including physical and mental fatigue, headache and digestive problems.


According to Deyermond, in-flight symptoms such as breathlessness, chest pain or confusion may signal that a person has dropping oxygen levels. In such cases, passengers with heart or lung disease can ask the crew for oxygen, she said. Healthy people may need only to drink some water, as dehydration compounds the effects of oxygen loss.


Avoiding alcohol and sleeping pills, Deyermond added, may also help.


She suggested that before taking a flight, people with heart or lung disease have their doctors measure their oxygen saturation. If it is already low, she explained, then patients will know it could drop to problematic levels, and they could tell the airline they will need oxygen during the flight.


SOURCE: Anaesthesia, May 2005.

Publish Date: May 05, 2005




© Reuters Limited. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of Reuters content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters. Reuters shall not be liable for any errors or delays in the content, or for any actions taken in reliance thereon.

 

[Ross]

Hehe, I believe Nancy beat you to this one.

http://www.valvereplacement.com/forums/showthread.php?t=10947

 

[Debrinha GT]

Well, then..

Well, then..

LOL!! It just comes to prove how important it is for people here to be aware of that! I haddn't seen the thread, but better posted twice than not being posted at all, don't you agree?!! LOL!!
Débora

 

[catwoman]

A friend in California flew to North Carolina in February. A few days later, she was hospitalized with a DVT in one leg & 2 pulmonary embolisms. This was her 2nd DVT. She's now on Coumadin for life.
She was scheduled to go to China in March -- had to cancel (luckily she had not bought air fare yet).

 

[Ghosthunter]

i dont need to see this thread...lol

i am going on a plane next week to san diego and nervous as anything. I dont like to fly to begin with. This is the first time I will be on a plane for 6 hours. I have klonopin I am going to take, and hope it knocks me out.

I am just glad it a direct flight....I am trying not to think of it..but then add the above problems to it...more things for me to worry..

 

[Mary]

Ghosthunter,
My daughter has to fly alot for her job. She has a trip tomorrow, and she's a basket case. She always gets medication before flying and sits with colleagues who are understanding. We have many funny stories about her flights, but I won't share them now!
Good luck!
Mary

 

[Ghosthunter]

luckily I only have to fly once every few years for my job,...i dont think i can handle more then once a year without a nervous breakdown..lol

 

[Debrinha GT]

I didn't mean bad!!

I didn't mean bad!!

Hi there Ghosthunter, sorry if my post has got you all worked up about your flight. All I wanted was to make sure folks with a heart and/or lung condition would be aware of this fact thus taking any necessary precautions before going on a plane. I've had three mitral valve replacements so far, and even after my first at the age of ten, I had to go on a plane between São Paulo and Curitiba which takes just under an hour. Since then I've been to Britain three times and that takes about14 hours. Make sure you dring plenty of water before and during the flight, and whenever possible, stand up and wander around the plane a bit to get the circulation in your legs working properly in order to avoid clots. Keep away from coffee too. I'm sure you'll be OK.
Débora from Brazil

 

[Ghosthunter]

Thanks Deborah...I am not too worried about DVT..I am more worried about the plane staying in the air...LOL


I just hate being stuck in a plane 30,000 in the air with nowhere to go...just the DVT story adds more things to think about it..lol


btw not your fault...dont feel bad...I need to get over this phobia once and for all

 

[Dita]

I have a lung disease (sarcoid) and I have a pulse-ox finger machine that I use when I exercise to make sure my O2 saturation stays above 90. If it goes down to 88-89 I slow down till it is over 90. My pulmonologist said 90 and above is fine. Oxygen is usually only given when O2 sat is below 86. Even in the hosptital that is the usual cut off. I check my pulse/O2 a ot since I developed some fatigue, pain. My (O2) goes to 88 after climbing stars, but recovers. It stays at 96-99 most of the time. I don't know why O2 on a plane of 94 would require treatment? My O2 when flying is 88-94. It flucuates during the trip and is usually 90-92. Now I'm worried with the 94 post. Anyone with heart/lung disease shoud buy a Nonin finger pulse/Ox just to make sure they are okay in the sky. BTW, at 88-90 you do not feel SOB.

 

[Barry]

I've been flying 2-3 times a week for the past 3 weeks. Short trip, a bit over an hour. Haven't noticed any adverse effects. On long flights I make it a point to get up and walk around about once an hour, pacing the length of the plane from one end to the other a couple of times. Besides the fact that my butt starts to hurt if I sit too long, I've read that sitting a long time on plane trips can result in dangerous puddling of blood in one's legs - and presume that folks with hearts that aren't working all that well are at especially high risk.

 

[Ghosthunter]

Hi all..

i just got back from my trip from san diego...and it was beautiful!!

I finally got over this fear of flying..though the plane on way back to newark was very rough ride on the landing due to high winds 30mph+, but we made it..and I am still not afraid to fly and cant wait to go again.

 

[Granbonny]

Ghosthunter

Ghosthunter

When I was a Delta Stewadess( In the stone age)..I used to have to close my eyes when we were ready to land in San Diego.. We would be so low to buildings and then just drop down onto Runway..I could see the people in their offices, ect. So, if you made it to a flight to San Diego..you are good to go.. Maybe they have built a new airport? Don't know...Bonnie

 

[Mary]

I have a lung disease (sarcoid) and I have a pulse-ox finger machine that I use when I exercise to make sure my O2 saturation stays above 90. If it goes down to 88-89 I slow down till it is over 90. My pulmonologist said 90 and above is fine. Oxygen is usually only given when O2 sat is below 86. Even in the hosptital that is the usual cut off. I check my pulse/O2 a ot since I developed some fatigue, pain. My (O2) goes to 88 after climbing stars, but recovers. It stays at 96-99 most of the time. I don't know why O2 on a plane of 94 would require treatment? My O2 when flying is 88-94. It flucuates during the trip and is usually 90-92. Now I'm worried with the 94 post. Anyone with heart/lung disease shoud buy a Nonin finger pulse/Ox just to make sure they are okay in the sky. BTW, at 88-90 you do not feel SOB.

Dita,
Although I'm glad to read of your experiences, I have to disagree with some of your figures. O2 sats of 90 and above are fine; however, oxygen is usually given when sats drop below 90--not 86. Home healthcare reimbursement guidelines require the sats to be below 88 before they pay for oxygen. Most hospitals give oxygen when O2 saturation falls below 90.
Although it's true that some people don't experience SOB with lower sats (you say 88-90) that's true of only approximately one third of the patients who suffer from dyspnea. Some experience SOB at sats of 96; it's still valid.

Your suggestion about buying a Nonin pulse oximeter for plane travel would make a good advertisement for them.

 

[Dita]

Dita,
Although I'm glad to read of your experiences, I have to disagree with some of your figures. O2 sats of 90 and above are fine; however, oxygen is usually given when sats drop below 90--not 86. Home healthcare reimbursement guidelines require the sats to be below 88 before they pay for oxygen. Most hospitals give oxygen when O2 saturation falls below 90.
Although it's true that some people don't experience SOB with lower sats (you say 88-90) that's true of only approximately one third of the patients who suffer from dyspnea. Some experience SOB at sats of 96; it's still valid.

Your suggestion about buying a Nonin pulse oximeter for plane travel would make a good advertisement for them.

The Nonin has helped me a lot. I often feel SOB but my O2 is good so I though it was just panic. I don't understand how you can be SOB with normal oxygen. Is it like hyperventilation? When you are resting/lying O2 is much lower than when sitting/standing. Does the 90 cut off apply?

 

[Debrinha GT]

Couldn't go on the plane.

Couldn't go on the plane.

In 1995, just when I thought I would have the time of my life, my cardio wouldn't allow me to go on a plane to Scotland after he saw the results of my echo, and told me I'd need my third mitral valve replacement instead within a few weeks at the latest. I had had the same valve for over 15 years but there was a large rupture on it and he said going on a plane would be far too dangerous.That happened at the end of November and the surgery took place 3 weeks later. The trip should've been on January 2nd, 1996 Can anyone give me a detailed explanation for his decision? What could've happened to me if I hadn't listened to him? after all, it did get me really upset at the time. Thanks in advance.
Débora

 

[Ghosthunter]

When I was a Delta Stewadess( In the stone age)..I used to have to close my eyes when we were ready to land in San Diego.. We would be so low to buildings and then just drop down onto Runway..I could see the people in their offices, ect. So, if you made it to a flight to San Diego..you are good to go.. Maybe they have built a new airport? Don't know...Bonnie

Oh I never look out the window...makes it a lot easier for me.


Only time I did is when pilot said we were 30,000 feet over the grand canyon on way back and i never see grand canyon what a sight to see from that high above =)